The NFL season is finally upon us. For the first time in 23 seasons, Tom Brady isn’t taking the snaps. However, he found himself back in Foxborough, as the Patriots honored the seven-time Super Bowl champion to kick off the new season. As part of the celebration, Brady jumpstarted a new tradition at Gillette Stadium, ringing the bell in the iconic light tower. Additionally, the team announced that Brady will secure his spot in the Patriots Hall of Fame on June 12, 2024 – Brady won six Super Bowls with the team and the 12 is an homage to his number. Traditionally, players must wait four years for induction, but the team will make an exception for TB12. Mac Jones and the Pats gave the defending AFC Champion Eagles a run but ultimately lost their home debut 25-20.

Luis Rubiales has stepped down as the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The news comes three weeks following his troubling behavior in the aftermath of the Spanish women’s national team’s World Cup win. Rubiales forcefully kissed the team’s star Jenni Hermoso. After initially shrugging off the incident, Hermoso has since denied that she consented to the kiss and accused Rubiales of sexual assault. Earlier this week, the team relieved head coach Jorge Vilda of his duties.

It’s been a stunning two weeks of tennis at the US Open. Novak Djokovic capped the action in the season’s final grand slam with a hard-fought win on Sunday, beating Daniil Medvedev. To celebrate his men’s record setting 24th grand slam title, Djokovic honored an iconic “24,” donning a Kobe Bryant “Mamba Forever” t-shirt and custom 24 Lacoste jacket for the trophy celebration. The Serb credited the late Lakers legend with helping him foster his “winning mentality” as he struggled to come back from injury. The win came one day after Coco Gauff took home the women’s title, beating Aryna Sabalenka in three sets. The victory marked the first grand slam for the 19-year-old star and the first win for an American woman since Sloane Stephens in 2017. Upon accepting her $3 million champion’s check, Gauff thanked Billie Jean King for her efforts to ensure equal pay at the tournament.

Over the last few weeks, several tech companies have expressed their intentions to go public. The move comes after an extended pause of tech IPOs, which began in December 2021. Leading that group is the grocery delivery company Instacart. The company will unveil its target valuation on Monday, but the Wall Street Journal reports that it will be in the ballpark of $8.6 billion and $9.3 billion. The company’s valuation has plummeted over the years after peaking at $39 billion in 2021.

The college football season is in full swing. The second official week brought gritty gridiron action. The weekend’s biggest win came as Texas beat Alabama 34-24 in Tuscaloosa. In return, the Longhorns rocketed seven spots up the AP Top 25 Poll, taking the No. 4 spot. Georgia, Michigan, and Florida State maintained the top three spots. Meanwhile, the reigning Heisman trophy winner Caleb Williams and the USC Trojans took the fifth spot.

Hip-hop marked 50 years since its founding in August, but the celebrations continue. Vice President Kamala Harris opened up her home over the weekend to host a commemorative event in collaboration with Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Live Nation Urban. The evening featured performances from Lil Wayne, Common, and many more. In a speech to the crowd, Harris reflected on the importance of the genre, saying, “Hip-hop culture is American culture.”